208 
BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
seems in no way diminished, and the aggregate annual loss they occa¬ 
sion is about $2,000,000.” 
Extracts from a letter from Capt. William Miles Hazzard , of Annandale , 
S. C., one of the largest rice-groivers in the state . 
“ The Bobolinks make their appearance here during the latter part of 
April. At that season their plumage is white and black, and they sing 
merrily when at rest. Their flight is always at night. In the evening 
there are none. In the morning their appearance is heralded by the 
popping of whips and firing of musketry by the bird-minders in their 
efforts to keep the birds from pulling up the young rice. This warfare 
is kept up incessantly until about the 25th of May, when they suddenly 
disappear at night. Their next appearance is in a dark-yellow plumage, 
as the Bice-bird. There is no song at this time, but instead a chirp, which 
means ruin to any rice found in milk. My plantation record will shpw 
that for the past ten years, except when prevented by stormy south or 
southwest winds, the Bice-birds have come punctually on the night of 
the 21st of August, apparently coming from seaward. All night their 
.chirp can be heard passing over our summer homes on South Island, 
which island is situated six miles to the east of our rice plantations, in 
full view of the ocean. Curious to say, we have never seen this flight 
during the day. During the nights of August 21, 22, 23 and 24, millions 
of these birds make their appearance and settle in the rice fields. From 
the 21st of August to the 25th of September our every effort is to save 
the crop. Men, boys and women are posted with guns and ammunition 
to every four or five acres, and shoot daily an average of about one quart 
of powder to the gun. This firing commences at first dawn of day and 
is kept up until sunset. After all this expense and trouble our loss of 
rice per acre seldom falls under five bushels, and if from any cause there 
is a check to the crop during the growth, which prevents the grain from 
being hard, but in milky condition, the destruction of such fields is com¬ 
plete, it not paying to cut and bring the rice out of the field. We have 
tried every plan to keep these pests off our crops at less expense and 
manual labor than we now incur, but have been unsuccessful. Our pres¬ 
ent mode is expensive, imperfect and thoroughly imsatisfactory, yet it 
is the best we can do. I consider these birds as destructive to rice as 
the caterpillar is to cotton, with this difference, that these Bice-birds 
never fail to come. If the government could devise some means to aid 
us in keeping off these birds it would render us great assistance. The 
loss by birds and the expense of minding them off in order to make 
anything, renders the cultivation of rice a dangerous speculation. Dur¬ 
ing the bird season we employ about one hundred bird-minders, who 
shoot from three to five kegs of powder daily, of twenty-five pounds 
each; add to this shot and caps, and you will have some idea what these 
birds cost one planter.” 
